Mat-Su Assembly to take up $400,000 PFAS cleanup at Central Mat-Su fire service area

A $400,000 PFAS cleanup for the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area is set to come before the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly on Tuesday, July 21, at 6 p.m. Members are scheduled to introduce an ordinance reappropriating that amount from the Central Mat-Su Fire Service Area's fund balance to the Central Mat-Su FSA Facilities and Vehicles Project for perfluoroalkyl substances mitigation and remediation.

The money comes from the fire service area's existing reserves, so no new tax levy is required. A companion resolution would give the Assembly oversight of how the money is spent by approving the scope of work and budget before remediation begins.

The stakes are direct for residents in the Central Mat-Su area who rely on private wells. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has documented that PFAS releases in Alaska are primarily tied to aqueous film-forming foam used at fire stations and training sites. The borough stated in April 2026 that its fire service areas stopped using or storing that foam in 2017, following a statewide restriction, but the chemicals persist. DEC noted on its contaminated sites page that PFAS "break down very slowly in the environment and can build up in people, animals, and the environment over time."

The borough's PFAS exposure became public in late March 2026, when DEC notified the Mat-Su Borough and School District that PFAS had been detected in groundwater near Cottonwood Creek Elementary School. That finding came through routine sampling funded by an EPA Emerging Contaminants grant under federal rules that took effect in April 2024. The borough said in April that it would begin sampling other areas where PFAS may be present.

The ordinance is introduced at the July 21 meeting for a public hearing scheduled at the Aug. 4 Assembly meeting in Palmer. Residents who want to weigh in on the scope or pace of the cleanup can submit written comments to [email protected] or testify by phone at 1-855-225-2326 when the public hearing opens.